COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMIC SIMULATION OF THE NANOELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHINING PROCESS

Abstract

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) process is one of the advanced machining processes that can machine the various complex shapes from all conductor and semiconductor materials. Wide and diverse applications of Micro-EDM process in microfabrication and micro- to nano-miniaturization tendency is promising application of Nano-EDM process in nanofabrication. The Nano-EDM is a precise, sensitive and costly process. Therefore, simulation of nanocrater produced by each spark in this process prevents spending extra time and cost to perform Nano-EDM process through trial and error method. In this paper nanocrater machined by the Nano-EDM process on a gold nanofilm is simulated under practically experimental conditions. Radius, depth and volume of the nanocrater are evaluated versus process conditions (average power and pulse duration) and workpiece thickness (50 nm, 100 nm and 300 nm). It is observed that radius of the nanocrater is increased exponentially with increasing spark pulse duration. Also, depth, volume of the removed material from the workpiece surface and material removal rate (MRR) are increased with increasing consumed energy by each spark. By increasing thickness of the nanofilm, volume of the removed material and dimensions of the nanocrater are decreased.